Justin's HIV Journal http://www.thebody.com/content/art54279.html Justin B. Smith may be one of the most public African Americans living with HIV: He has his own blog and Web site, and he's even on YouTube. And who can blame him? Only 29, he already has an incredible story to tell. Justin admits he used to live "a very dangerous life," but since his diagnosis three years ago, the former heavy drinker and drug user has turned his life around. In this moving, one-on-one interview, Justin walks us through some of the key moments in his life, including the day in 2006 when he was diagnosed with HIV, his experiences dealing with stigma and ignorance, and his stint in the military as an openly gay man. http://www.thebody.com/images/blog/jsmith_biobox.gif Justin B. Terry-Smith http://www.thebody.com/content/art54279.html 115 144 HIV Criminalization Comes To MARYLAND! ... Wait, I'm HIV+ and I Live in Maryland ... http://www.thebody.com/content/65452/hiv-criminalization-comes-to-maryland--wait-im-hiv.html Maryland's oldest and longest serving Senator Norman Stone (Democrat from Baltimore County) proposed the bill (Senate Bill 60) to raise the transmission of HIV from a Misdemeanor to a Felony charge. The bill currently has no co-sponsor in the Senate.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/65452/hiv-criminalization-comes-to-maryland--wait-im-hiv.html jsmithco98@hotmail.com (Justin B. Terry-Smith) Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:00:00 GMT National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine Keynote Speaker Justin B. Terry-Smith http://www.thebody.com/content/65426/national-youth-leadership-forum-on-medicine-keynot.html On December 5th, 2011, I was given the honor of being the Keynote Speaker for the National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine. Before I was going to speak I was so nervous that they wouldn't like me or I would do really bad, but all in all I think I did OK. Keep in mind there were about 200 students and they are handpicked scholars from around the country. Some of the students were all the way from Hawaii and Puerto Rico. These young and impressionable men and women are the leaders that go to school and decide to earn a degree and practice in the medical profession. They were so receptive and amazing.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/65426/national-youth-leadership-forum-on-medicine-keynot.html jsmithco98@hotmail.com (Justin B. Terry-Smith) Wed, 18 Jan 2012 08:48:00 GMT HIV Positive and HIV Negative Dating Advice http://www.thebody.com/content/65379/hiv-positive-and-hiv-negative-dating-advice.html I received an e-mail from someone who is actively dating and I will call him Jay. Jay is HIV negative and is dating a guy name Tom. Tom and Jay have been dating for about two months. Things are going great with both of them but in those two months they have not been intimate at all. Tom has been pressuring Jay to have sex, but Jay has stated that he is not ready. The reason Jay is not ready is because he is having trouble with Tom's HIV status.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/65379/hiv-positive-and-hiv-negative-dating-advice.html jsmithco98@hotmail.com (Justin B. Terry-Smith) Fri, 30 Dec 2011 07:56:00 GMT Being Honest Even When You're Scared and Complera Update http://www.thebody.com/content/65284/being-honest-even-when-youre-scared-and-complera-u.html I've been on Complera for about three months now. It has gotten better for me. I don't know why my viral load shot up and my T cells when down a little before I started this new treatment. When you are public about what you have you tend to not be public about when you are scared or when it doesn't seem like it is going to get any better. I've not been telling everyone that my VL shot up and my T cells went down again. I was scared and all I can say is that I'm only human. I'm human and I do make mistakes. I don't want to feel like I've not been honest, nor do I feel like I should be chastised for not telling all, all the time. But I have to be honest.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/65284/being-honest-even-when-youre-scared-and-complera-u.html jsmithco98@hotmail.com (Justin B. Terry-Smith) Wed, 21 Dec 2011 06:57:00 GMT Maryland Renaissance Festival, Prince for A Day? http://www.thebody.com/content/65241/maryland-renaissance-festival-prince-for-a-day.html Since I was a little boy I remember a certain John Singleton movie called, "Boyz N Tha Hood". In that movie it depicts a young man and a group of his friends who were growing up in the ghettos of LA. Laurence Fishburne played the father of the young man, who had just been moved to LA by his mother, who is played by Angela Bassett. The thing that stuck out in my mind was when Fishburne told the boy that he was the Prince which in turn made Fishburne the King. He also I believe called their house a Kingdom. When it came to chores Fishburne told the boy, "Right now, the king says it's time for the prince to go to bed". I thought a lot about my own Father and how our house was really like that. I got whatever I wanted as long as I took care of the Kingdom and myself.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/65241/maryland-renaissance-festival-prince-for-a-day.html jsmithco98@hotmail.com (Justin B. Terry-Smith) Tue, 20 Dec 2011 15:54:00 GMT HIV-Positive 13-Year-Old Honor Student DENIED Education by Milton Hershey School http://www.thebody.com/content/65081/hiv-positive-13-year-old-honor-student-denied-educ.html A 13-year-old teenager was denied entry into the Milton Hershey School of Hershey, Pa., because he is HIV positive. The spokesperson for the Hershey School, Connie McNamara, has said, "We had to balance his rights and interests with our obligation to provide for the health and safety of other students. ... And this meets a direct threat."

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/65081/hiv-positive-13-year-old-honor-student-denied-educ.html jsmithco98@hotmail.com (Justin B. Terry-Smith) Tue, 6 Dec 2011 10:50:00 GMT A Mother's Love for Her HIV-Positive Son http://www.thebody.com/content/64567/a-mothers-love-for-her-hiv-positive-son.html Sometimes I get personal e-mails about my blog and I haven't really shared them with you all. But I think I will start to do so, but of course changing the names so that I protect people's identities.

I received this e-mail from a woman I'm going to call Amanda. She and her son discovered he was HIV positive and this letter made me cry ... twice.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/64567/a-mothers-love-for-her-hiv-positive-son.html jsmithco98@hotmail.com (Justin B. Terry-Smith) Thu, 27 Oct 2011 10:17:00 GMT Complera, My New 1-Pill-a-Day Regimen (and My Rosacea Diagnosis) http://www.thebody.com/content/64457/one-pill-a-day-hiv-regimen-and-rosacea-diagnosis.html In 2008 I started my HIV medications. My first regimen was Truvada, Reyataz, and Norvir -- a three-pill-a-day regimen that my body, at least at first, was fine dealing with. Then after a couple of months of taking the medication my eyes began to turn yellow and my new doctor said that jaundice was why my eyes were turning yellow. Jaundice is a yellow color of the skin, mucus membranes, or eyes. The yellow coloring comes from bilirubin, a byproduct of old red blood cells. Jaundice can be a symptom of other health problems. Every day, a small number of red blood cells in your body die, and are replaced by new ones. The liver removes the old blood cells, forming bilirubin. The liver helps break down bilirubin so that it can be removed by the body in the stool. When too much bilirubin builds up in the body, jaundice may result. Jaundice can occur if there are too many red blood cells dying or breaking down and going to the liver, the liver is overloaded or damaged and/or the bilirubin from the liver is unable to move through the digestive tract properly. So because of that I was put on another regimen.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/64457/one-pill-a-day-hiv-regimen-and-rosacea-diagnosis.html jsmithco98@hotmail.com (Justin B. Terry-Smith) Wed, 19 Oct 2011 10:27:00 GMT Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day 2011 http://www.thebody.com/content/64163/gay-mens-hivaids-awareness-day-2011.html It is Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. This horrible disease has effected, affected and infected us long enough. If you're HIV positive I ask you to stand tall with me and if you're HIV negative I ask you to stand tall with them. Love your HIV-positive brothers. They need you; WE NEED YOU !!!!! LOVE EACH OTHER DAMN BUT LOVE YOURSELF TOO, WRAP IT UP !!!

Jacob Nathaniel Pring, Paul Kawata and I were being honored by the DC Center and it was truly an honor. This was the original program from the DC Center facebook event.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/64163/gay-mens-hivaids-awareness-day-2011.html jsmithco98@hotmail.com (Justin B. Terry-Smith) Wed, 28 Sep 2011 17:23:00 GMT What if Your Food Server Was HIV Positive? http://www.thebody.com/content/63883/what-if-your-food-server-was-hiv-positive.html On April 8, 2011, the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis hosted a national Roundtable on HIV and Employment at which I was honored to testify. Representatives of the U.S. Department of Justice and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission testified as well.

As of 2009, Congress passed legislation that specifically included HIV/AIDS in the protections of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) that prohibits against discrimination in hiring or employment. If you have problems, you have rights and can get help.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/63883/what-if-your-food-server-was-hiv-positive.html jsmithco98@hotmail.com (Justin B. Terry-Smith) Tue, 6 Sep 2011 09:09:00 GMT HIV Profile: Ryan White http://www.thebody.com/content/63369/hiv-profile-ryan-white.html Ryan White was born on December 6, 1971 in Kokomo, Indiana. When he was three days old, doctors informed his parents that he had hemophilia, an inherited disease in which the blood does not clot. People who have this disease are vulnerable, since an injury as simple as a paper cut can lead to dangerous bleeding. Fortunately for White and his parents, a new treatment, called Factor VIII, recently had been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This treatment is made from blood and contains the clotting agent that allows healthy people to heal quickly from wounds.

In December 1984, when he was 13, White contracted pneumonia and had surgery to remove part of his left lung. After two hours of surgery, his doctors told his parents that he had contracted the incurable disease of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, or AIDS, through his Factor VIII blood transfusions.

White's doctors told him that he had six months to live, but White decided that he would continue to live a normal life, attend school, and spend time with his friends.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/63369/hiv-profile-ryan-white.html jsmithco98@hotmail.com (Justin B. Terry-Smith) Wed, 20 Jul 2011 15:22:00 GMT Magic Johnson Is NOT Cured of HIV http://www.thebody.com/content/62493/magic-johnson-is-not-cured-of-hiv.html I repeat Magic Johnson is NOT cured of HIV. In 1991 Johnson retired from the NBA almost immediately after he made a brave public announcement that he had contracted HIV. A good friend of mine, Jason, fell into a brief debate with his co-workers on Magic Johnson and HIV.

The co-workers had stated that they thought that Magic Johnson was cured of HIV. Jason had told them that for a fact that was not true. In the co-workers' opinions the reason why Magic Johnson was cured of HIV was because he wasn't dead yet. They didn't believe that someone could live that long with HIV.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/62493/magic-johnson-is-not-cured-of-hiv.html jsmithco98@hotmail.com (Justin B. Terry-Smith) Fri, 10 Jun 2011 17:00:00 GMT HIV Denialists/Dissidents ... REALLY? http://www.thebody.com/content/art62063.html HIV Denialists/Dissidents are people that do not believe that HIV causes AIDS. They also believe that taking medication to help fight against HIV is wrong. They also do not buy into the fact that HIV is a threat to public health worldwide. They also think that toxicities are the main contributors to why HIV tests come up positive. Also HIV Denialists/Dissidents believe that the science of observing and discovering HIV is flawed and that it is not sexually transmitted. HIV Denialists/Dissidents often believe that the complications most of us call AIDS instead come from reckless and recreational drug use, not any virus.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/art62063.html jsmithco98@hotmail.com (Justin B. Terry-Smith) Thu, 19 May 2011 14:38:00 GMT Rape and Domestic Violence Under DADT (Don't Ask, Don't Tell) http://www.thebody.com/content/art61475.html In the military I had my ups and downs. The ups were I had great friends and I was accepted by a lot of people on base. Even though they knew that I was gay, a lot of my co-workers didn't care. All that many of them cared about was that I did my job. That is all I cared about; all I wanted to do was to serve my country the best way I knew how, until one night that all changed ...

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/art61475.html jsmithco98@hotmail.com (Justin B. Terry-Smith) Wed, 13 Apr 2011 10:35:00 GMT Love in the Time of HIV http://www.thebody.com/content/art61608.html People who are HIV positive ask me all the time, "How do I get involved in the fight against HIV?" When I ask them, "Are you open about your HIV status?" They usually answer no -- and that is fine.

But since getting diagnosed as HIV positive in 2006, I have made it a priority to be open about my status. When I made this decision, I knew that it was right for me, but I didn't know just how right it would be. Here are four ways that openly acknowledging that I have HIV has worked in my favor ...

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/art61608.html jsmithco98@hotmail.com (Justin B. Terry-Smith) Sun, 10 Apr 2011 20:20:00 GMT HIV Profile: Alison Gertz http://www.thebody.com/content/art61176.html On February 27, 1966, Alison Gertz was born to a prominent family in New York. When she was 16 she had her first sexual encounter. She was infected with HIV. At the age of 22 after being sick and spending several weeks in the hospital, doctors couldn't understand what was wrong with her. At this time HIV/AIDS was known as a Gay or Intravenous drug users disease, so she was not tested, at least at first. Her doctor then tested her for HIV and the test came up positive. This young beautiful woman who came from a prominent New York family was diagnosed with HIV. It was shocking and she became one of the first women known to be infected with the HIV virus and also to be public about her HIV status.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/art61176.html jsmithco98@hotmail.com (Justin B. Terry-Smith) Fri, 25 Mar 2011 07:25:00 GMT Justin Writes a Children's Book About HIV/AIDS Called "I Have A Secret" http://www.thebody.com/content/art61076.html Well I have some exciting news to share with all of you. I have written a children's book about HIV/AIDS. I decided to write this book for all of the HIV positive and negative children. I was trying to show that despite a child's HIV status they want to be treated like every other kid. They want to play, jump and have the ability to relate to other children. People should not treat HIV positive children any different than a child who does not have HIV. They want the chance to have a normal upbringing just like ever child on this earth.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/art61076.html jsmithco98@hotmail.com (Justin B. Terry-Smith) Fri, 18 Mar 2011 10:05:00 GMT You Have HIV ... Now What? http://www.thebody.com/content/art60549.html I started blogging about my personal experience being infected with HIV because I thought it might help others who have been infected or affected with HIV. I am in no way saying that everyone should be public the same way I have been, but there are other ways you can help yourself through this terrifying time.

In this entry I want to touch on what people that have been newly infected might want to explore. I may be a little harsh in my video entry but I want to make sure that it is known that I'm not a doctor and this is just my opinion about what you might want to do.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/art60549.html jsmithco98@hotmail.com (Justin B. Terry-Smith) Fri, 18 Feb 2011 10:03:00 GMT HIV Profile: Gene Anthony Ray http://www.thebody.com/content/art60457.html Justin will regularly profile someone famous or well known who has either been infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS. This is his choice for February.

Ray was an American actor, choreographer and dancer. He is best known for his portrayal of the street-smart dancer Leroy in the 1980 motion picture Fame and the television spin-off which aired from 1982-1987.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/art60457.html jsmithco98@hotmail.com (Justin B. Terry-Smith) Thu, 10 Feb 2011 13:58:00 GMT Marriage Is Still an Option http://www.thebody.com/content/art59974.html When I found out I was HIV positive I wasn't really thinking about if I was going to ever get married. But just my luck, which was good, I did get married to the most beautiful man in my life, Dr. Philip B Terry-Smith. This past summer Phil and I were approached by students at University of Maryland to take part in a documentary. The documentary was about marriage and the different kinds of marriages and how they work. The documentary profiles four couples: a heterosexual man and bisexual woman, an older couple, a couple who met through Internet dating, and a gay couple (us). The documentary shows that there are differences and similarities, but also shows that there shouldn't be a "cookie cutter" of what marriage should be.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/art59974.html jsmithco98@hotmail.com (Justin B. Terry-Smith) Mon, 27 Dec 2010 23:00:00 GMT Educating on World AIDS Day at George Mason University http://www.thebody.com/content/art59923.html Another World AIDS Day has come and gone. This year was a little different for me. I was actually asked to speak at George Mason University about HIV/AIDS. I was soooo scared about speaking in front of them. I must admit it had been a long time since I had spoken at a college. So before I made my way to George Mason University I had many thoughts going through my head. I had hoped the students would like me and most of all listen to me. So in the car on the way there I had made notes; my husband said, "Don't worry about it, you're a natural. You will do fine." Well I'm a skeptic on some things so I didn't believe it.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/art59923.html jsmithco98@hotmail.com (Justin B. Terry-Smith) Fri, 17 Dec 2010 17:50:00 GMT You Are Not Alone http://www.thebody.com/content/art58809.html Today I decided to make a "You Are Not Alone" video because of the many suicides that are happening in the LGBTQ Youth. Many of these beautiful young people are committing suicide because of bullying in school.

I can empathize with this. In middle school I tried to commit suicide because of pressures at school. I was called the "F word" a lot. I didn't want to tell anyone because I didn't know what would happen to me. I was so scared to go to school sometimes I faked sick just not to go. In middle school I was attacked several times. I was pushed into lockers, punched, slapped, stabbed with a pencil, and someone actually threw a coin at my head at full force that actually made an indentation in my head. I lashed out at my parents at that time and I went from being an A/B student to a C average student. I knew I was different and the fact that people called me names because of my sexuality stayed with me for a long time.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/art58809.html jsmithco98@hotmail.com (Justin B. Terry-Smith) Thu, 7 Oct 2010 00:26:00 GMT D.C. Mayoral Candidate Wants HIV Status on Driver's Licenses http://www.thebody.com/content/art58290.html Leo Alexander is one of the candidates for the Washington, D.C. Mayoral Election. A couple of weeks ago on August 11th Alexander made a statement at a Forum that he will push for HIV testing at the DMV [Department of Motor Vehicles]. If most of you are not familiar with it, some other people call it the MVA [Motor Vehicle Administration]. You know that place where you pick up your License.

I wondered why someone would want a testing center at every DMV in D.C. Then he made the most outrageous statement I've ever heard come from a candidate of any election. Alexander says he wants to push to have everyone who is a D.C. resident have their HIV status on their Driver's License.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/art58290.html jsmithco98@hotmail.com (Justin B. Terry-Smith) Thu, 2 Sep 2010 17:45:00 GMT A Visit to the Acupuncturist http://www.thebody.com/content/art56285.html There are a lot of things we as HIV positive people have to look out for. But one of our main enemies is stress. You can take all the medication you want, eat all the good food that nourishes your body, and have all the protected sex anyone can have, but when you're stressed out all of it goes out the window.

I was so stressed this year that my body started to feel it. Sciatica was one way my body was showing stress. But after the Acupuncturist I feel great. I've seen her twice now and my body and my mind are feeling a lot better.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/art56285.html jsmithco98@hotmail.com (Justin B. Terry-Smith) Tue, 13 Apr 2010 21:48:00 GMT Out-of-State Same-Sex Marriage in Maryland? http://www.thebody.com/content/art55991.html In 2006, on Memorial Day weekend, I found out that I was HIV positive. I didn't think I'd ever be loved or love someone else at all. I also felt bad because I couldn't have children and my parents would be so disappointed in me. Being in a relationship was the furthest thing from my mind.

When I started to date I told the men I was interested in that I was HIV positive. I wanted to clear the air first and didn't want it hanging over my head that I had the chance to tell them and I didn't. Then at a fundraiser I met the one: my husband, Dr. Philip B. Terry-Smith.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/art55991.html jsmithco98@hotmail.com (Justin B. Terry-Smith) Tue, 23 Mar 2010 21:44:00 GMT High Steaks vs. High Cholesterol http://www.thebody.com/content/art55730.html People who take certain HIV medications often get high cholesterol as a side effect of the drugs. Recently my doctor told me that I have high cholesterol. But is it a result of my drug regimen? I had been taking Reyataz, Norvir and Truvada, all of which have high cholesterol as a possible adverse effect. It could be my genes or my lifestyle -- or even a combination. I may never really know. But since high cholesterol increases your risk of having a heart attack or stroke, it's time for me to make some changes.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/art55730.html jsmithco98@hotmail.com (Justin B. Terry-Smith) Mon, 8 Mar 2010 14:00:00 GMT Mr. Maryland Leather 2010 http://www.thebody.com/content/art55337.html This has been an exciting year for me. First I was awarded my Associate's Degree in Communications, then I got married, and I was given my first award for the activism work and community service that I have done with Justin's HIV Journal. But nothing could have prepared me for what was next to come.

On November 6th, 2009 I was Contestant #3 in the Mr. Maryland Leather 2010 contest.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/art55337.html jsmithco98@hotmail.com (Justin B. Terry-Smith) Wed, 3 Feb 2010 14:28:49 GMT Tiger Woods and HIV/AIDS, Revisited http://www.thebody.com/content/art54950.html First let me apologize to all of my readers and watchers for me even writing anything about this over publicized affair. So here we are living in a world of HIV/AIDS and Tiger Woods has reportedly had many affairs with many different women, supposedly 14.

In my opinion Tiger Woods has his own life and we shouldn't judge him on what he does in his private life as long as he is not hurting anyone or himself. BUT he has ...

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/art54950.html jsmithco98@hotmail.com (Justin B. Terry-Smith) Tue, 5 Jan 2010 23:08:49 GMT HIV/AIDS and the Black Church http://www.thebody.com/content/art54680.html I've always wondered why my community of gay black men has been hit the hardest by HIV/AIDS, especially in the D.C. area. Then I thought, there are a number of reasons why this is the case.

When HIV/AIDS first came out in the public eye, a lot of people of color automatically stigmatized HIV as a gay white disease. So they went around with this notion in their heads that they couldn't possibly contract HIV.

As time went on, that notion was proven wrong. In the black community, HIV/AIDS grew and grew and grew. And now we are living in a modern epidemic in our nation's capital, Washington, D.C. It is sad to say that as of early 2009, 3 percent of Washington, D.C.'s residents are living with HIV or AIDS. According to health officials, the 1 percent threshold constitutes a "generalized and severe" epidemic.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/art54680.html jsmithco98@hotmail.com (Justin B. Terry-Smith) Thu, 3 Dec 2009 04:51:49 GMT Hello to TheBody.com http://www.thebody.com/content/art53778.html My name is Justin B Smith, I'm the writer and producer of Justin's HIV Journal and this is the first time I'm written for TheBody.com. I'm so very happy to be here to be able to talk with all of you guys and I hope to be writing here a lot.

A couple years ago I came up with Justin's HIV Journal. I honestly didn't know how I was going to do it or get it off the ground. I was inspired by the way Barack Obama was using the Internet as a tool to get his message out.

I have to admit I had many reservations in putting myself out there like I did. I thought about so many things that people might say about me. I worried for example, that they might say, "He deserves HIV for being gay," or "He slept with men and drank a lot, no wonder he has HIV." It hurts to my soul that people would say such things about me, but I remain strong.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/art53778.html jsmithco98@hotmail.com (Justin B. Terry-Smith) Wed, 4 Nov 2009 19:04:44 GMT